Faculty of Philosophy University of Cambridge Part II Philosophy of Mind: Consciousness Course outline and reading list 1.

Course outline These lectures will survey some of the main philosophical questions posed by the phenomena of conscious thought and experience. Topics to be covered include: the correct characterization of the phenomena of consciousness (should we be happy with notions like qualia and what its like?), the relationship between consciousness and intentionality (the minds directedness or aboutness), whether consciousness provides obstacles to materialism or physicalism; and what it would be to explain consciousness (the explanatory gap). 2. Reading NB * indicates introductory reading; you should start here. ** indicates more advanced material. Anthologies The Nature of Consciousness: Philosophical Debates eds. N. Block, O. Flanagan and G. Gzeldere (BFG) Philosophy of Mind Classical and Contemporary Readings ed. D. Chalmers (DC) Philosophy of Mind: Contemporary Readings eds. T. OConnor and D. Robb (OCR) Lecture 1: Consciousness, consciousness-of, qualia, the phenomenal, what its like etc. *Thomas Nagel, What is is Like to be a Bat? *David J. Chalmers, The Conscious Mind chapter 1, 1.1-1.3 *Tim Crane, Elements of Mind chapter 3, 21-23 David Rosenthal Two Concepts of Consciousness Phil Studies 1986 **Ned Block, On a Confusion about a Function of Consciousness in BFG Lecture 2: Consciousness and intentionality *Michael Tye, Ten Problems of Consciousness chapter 4 *Gilbert Harman, The Intrinsic Quality of Experience in BFG and OCR Tim Crane, Intentionalism in the Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Mind eds. McLaughlin, Walter and Beckermann, and at www.timcrane.com **David Chalmers, The Representational Character of Experience in The Future for Philosophy ed. B. Leiter; also at www.consc.net Lecture 3: Arguments against materialism *Frank Jackson, Epiphenomenal Qualia Philosphical Quarterly 1982, reprinted in DC, and in Howard Robinson, Matter and Sense chapter 1 David J. Chalmers, The Conscious Mind chapter 4 **David Lewis, What Experience Teaches in Mind and Cognition ed. Lycan, and in DC Tim Crane, Subjective Facts in Real Metaphysics eds. Lillehammer and Rodriguez-Pereyra; also at www.timcrane.com Lecture 4: The explanatory gap *Joseph Levine, Materialism and Qualia: the Explanatory Gap Pacific Phil Quarterly 1986; reprinted in DC, BFG and OCR *Colin McGinn, Can we Solve the Mind-Body Problem? Mind 1989, and in DC, BFG and OCR David Papineau, Thinking about Consciousness chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5 **Ned Block and Robert Stalnaker, Conceptual Analysis, Dualism and the Explanatory Gap Philosophical Review 1999; also in DC Daniel Dennett, Sweet Dreams chapters 3, 5 and 6 Tim Crane February 2012